Ph.D., Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2005); M.A., International Affairs, American University (1998); and B.A., History, State University of New York-Oneonta (1992).

Dr. Markowitz has research interests in the politics of state failure, nationalist mobilization, and authoritarian rule in Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. His research has appeared (or is forthcoming) in Comparative Political Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Central Asian Survey, and in several edited volumes. Using the cases of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, his current book project examines how rents derived from unlootable resources shape state security and rule of law institutions in weak states.

He teaches introductory courses on comparative politics and international relations, as well as specialized courses on state development, nationalism and ethnic conflict, and post-Communist politics. Before coming to Rowan University, he taught at Oberlin College and was a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown University.